Gas Explosion Kills 1, Injures 14 in Bronx High-Rise, FDNY Says
A gas explosion and fire on the 16th–17th floors of a Bronx 17-story building killed one and injured 14, officials said.
Overview
Chief of Department John Esposito said firefighters responded shortly before 12:30 a.m. to a 17-story Bronx building after reports of a gas odor, and a gas explosion killed one person and injured 14.
Officials said the building was undergoing renovations, work on the natural gas system had been completed and inspected, and the cause of the explosion is under investigation; the property moved to private management in 2024.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani said all utilities were shut off and all 148 apartments were vacated, and officials set up a reception center at a nearby school with American Red Cross assistance.
More than 200 fire and emergency crews worked the scene and the Red Cross registered more than 100 households totaling 305 people, including 89 children, for emergency aid, officials said.
Fire Commissioner Lillian Bonsignore said the department and city agencies will continue the investigation into cause and building safety while displaced residents receive aid and officials assess long-term housing needs.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources mildly frame the explosion as symptomatic of broader housing-infrastructure problems by pairing factual incident reporting with NYCHA background and past incidents. Editorial choices—citing a federal monitor’s critique of NYCHA, noting a prior chimney collapse, and emphasizing displaced residents and official responses—steer readers toward systemic neglect as context.
Sources (4)
FAQ
The gas explosion occurred on January 24, 2026, at 3485 Bivona Street in the Boston Secor Houses, Eastchester section of the Bronx, between Reeds Mill Lane and Boston Road.
All 148 apartments were vacated, utilities were shut off, over 100 households (305 people including 89 children) received Red Cross aid at a nearby school, and officials are assessing long-term housing while extracting 14 homebound residents and testing the structure.
FDNY responded to a gas odor report around 12:19 a.m.; the explosion happened 15 minutes later during investigation. The building, a NYCHA complex under PACT renovations, had completed and inspected natural gas system work, but only facade work was ongoing per some reports; cause is under investigation.
Over 200 firefighters and EMS personnel responded to the 4-alarm fire. Firefighters on the 15th-17th floors faced an explosion causing severe structural damage to 12 apartments, fires in 10 apartments, and some were trapped in an elevator briefly.
History
This story does not have any previous versions.